Past and Present
by Nayeli Gold
Summary: An AI. If you don't like them, don't read. Many things were changed, but hopefully, it's enjoyable anyway! It takes place before any of the movies, but still with Obi and Qui. Not a romance with them though! :)


*** Hey everyone!  That's right, now I'm writing a Star Wars based story!  So yeah, I was reading in my past journals, and I found the beginning of a Star Wars fic from when I was ten years old!  I'm making some major changes, but keeping the basic story line to what I had written.  Just a warning though, you're gonna run into a few major changes I've made to the Star Wars movies themselves to fit my imagination.  Firstly, this is before Ani.  Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are still master and apprentice, but there's another change.  There are Siths, and the Jedi know it.  Oh, and there's another major change involving the Sith, but it shall be explained in the story.  Those, you just kinda had to know from before the beginning.  With that in mind, let's start the story! ***

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Chapter One

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

~~Present Day in the Jedi temple~~

 "Sometimes, children can do amazing things."  I said.  Yoda turned to face me again.

"What?"  His green face showed surprise, odd for a Jedi Master such as himself.  In any case, I was already walking away from the group.  I could hear Yoda start after me, hear Qui-Gon stop him, hear him tell Yoda I needed space; that I couldn't possibly know how disrespectful I was being.

But I did know.

Qui-Gon thought he knew me well now, but he knew very little.  He knew I was madder now than he had ever witnessed me being before; he knew that space and time would deliver me my senses once again; that I was stubborn and quick to anger when my immense pride was hurt.  He knew that I wanted to be everyone's equal; that I didn't care that I was seventeen, that I wasn't a Jedi, and that I kept my secrets well hidden in the background.  All this Qui-Gon knew, but he didn't know _why_ I was this way and he didn't know my past…and hopefully, he never would.

Soon, my feet carried me past the miniature huts in the 'bad' section of this city-world.  The place housed people of the worst kind; murderers, thieves, druggies, rapists…the list went on for miles.  And this was where I made my home.  As I walked past the dirty hut Kelsey and I had once shared, I couldn't help but let a small seed of despair imbed itself into the anger I carried like a blazing shield.  I still lived it that disgusting hut…alone.

Eventually, I made it to the last strip of land that had not been taken captive by the overgrown city surrounding it; the great mountain Sholeh.  I had been fortunate today.  Usually, at least one or two men tried to claim me as easy prey as I walked through my home-section.  Maybe it was the rage radiating off me that had kept them at bay today.

I stood there, staring at it, already knowing in my heart what I was about to do.  Suddenly, I pounced upon the nearest boulder.  I was going to do this quick and clean.

Up I climbed.  Twice I missed the rock I'd been aiming for and had been forced to seize one of the few plants that grew along the Western Edge.  As I climbed, my mind began to wander.  Thoughts of Kelsey entered my mind.  She had always been there during all my crazy stunts and she was the only one who could calm me down when my pride and anger took control; she had been like my sister.  She had been my partner on almost every mission I'd ever taken…except this one.  Not that I had much choice in taking this particular mission.

I am not a child now 

_I can take care of myself_

_I mustn't let them down now_

_Mustn't let them see me cry_

_There is no such thing as faith,_

_And trust and pixie dust_

What would happen to this mission if I fell?  I knew that one.  This planet would perish and Kelsey, Maya, and Tikon's planets would be next.  But this damn mission wasn't the reason why I had been living in that stupid hut.  The real reason was the Manko and a battle between them and the Jaded Warriors.  Kelsey, Maya, Tikon and I had all been involved in that battle.  It was one of many for me, but the last for our leader, my sister, Sarie.  She had died in the process of sealing the Manko off from the Universe.  I too, almost died…Hell, we all did, and many other Jaded Warriors lost their lives to the failed effort.

They said we were lucky to have lived…but my cold soul was not truly alive.

My mind snapped out of dreamland just as I began closing in upon the ledge of the particular cliff I was climbing.  Oh God, what was I doing…I could never make it up the entire mountain without a rope!  I couldn't have climbed that far yet though, could I?  Most likely, I was just barely 100 ft. off the ground and I could just ease my way back down. and….

In my doubt, I'd finally looked down and realized just exactly how wrong I was.  "My God…I climbed like Hell was at my ass…"  I needed to daydream more often!  Well, if I could climb this much in that short of time, then surely I could reach the top!  Once there I'd-

My thought trailed off as I looked up again.  I had been scanning for handholds, but instead, what I was scared me more than any height.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Yoda, do you thin you could have been any harder on the girl?"  Qui-Gon's eyes searched his.  "She is just a child after all."

"Know this, I do.  But said something important she has."  Yoda look at the three of us in turn.  For the first time in my life, I heard him speak a normal sentence…but it wasn't his own sentence.  "Sometimes children can do amazing things.  Said this, she did."

"And?"  Asked Obi-Wan.

"Exact words to me a Jaded Warrior once spoke."  Yoda answered.  "Similar voices they used too.  Wonder how the match I do."

I hadn't noticed, but my body had involuntarily shivered when he'd mentioned the Warriors, even though I had known Yoda would discover her secret.  Nayeli had already told me he would someday.  But was now the time and if I said something now, what would be his reaction?  I was just Josh, the former Sith who Nayeli had turned Jedi.  The trust of the people was something I did not have.  How would it be seen if **I** was coming to her defense?

_I try_

_But it's so hard to believe_

_I try_

_But I can't see what you see_

_My whole world is changing_

_I don't know where to turn_

I thought of my former Sith days and the pain I had inflicted upon anyone and everyone I came across.  At the time, Nayeli's best friend had been my most feared enemy while and the same time, I didn't even know Nayeli herself existed.  Only because she had appeared suddenly at what I had hopped would be Kelsey's last hour was her friend alive…and only because she had refused to kill me, instead studying me and changing me from the inside out was I now on the 'good' side.  Even after I had changed, Kelsey hated my every being, not that I could really blame her after what I'd done to her.

What had amazed me beyond almost everything thing else though, was that Kelsey eventually became one of my best friends as well.  She saved my life multiple times and explained the secrets of her past; Nayeli's too.  I'm not quite sure what happened that began to turn us to friendship, but I thank God it happened.  While Nayeli was good, kindhearted, and fiercely loyal, she never talked much, never spoke secrets, would not speak of her past mistakes, refused to ask for help because of an abnormally large amount of pride, and never told anyone her fears.  With Kelsey to help me, I began to understand my friend and who she really was inside.

Unfortunately, Yoda saw my daydreaming and became curious.  "Know something of Nayeli do you?" He questioned.

"No." I lied.  "Just thinking Master Yoda."

"Of What?" Asked Qui-Gon.  Damn…I should have known better than to lie to anyone with power over the Force…_especially_ this group.  Hell, I could always tell when people lied, what made me think they couldn't?

"Well," I started, my mind racing. "Why do you do that?  Put her through so much pain?  She trusted us and Nayeli's trust does not come easily.  Now she may never trust the Jedi again."

"Traveled with Nayeli for much time you have."  Yoda said, though it seemed more like a question.  I nodded, but my senses were pulling my mind away from him and towards Mount Sholeh. "Know her well, do you?"  Yoda was prying, but I was only half caring.  Something was pulling me towards that God-forsaken mountain.

Instead of answering him, I asked, "What's on that mountain?"

"Trouble." Answered Obi-Wan.

*** Okay!  A cliffhanger for you!  I know something's are left untold or explained, but they shall be!  As I said, something's here have been…mutated slightly to get the effect I wanted it to have.  I hope you enjoyed! Oh, and the lyrics are from "I'll try" for Disney's Return to Neverland.  (I so love this song…)***


End file.
